My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 150 Nothing more than that
The Xuzhou army deployed 6,000 soldiers in one go, aiming to eliminate most of the siege towers, battering rams, siege towers, and ladders outside the south gate in one fell swoop.

Yuan Shu's personal guard was clearly unprepared from top to bottom, and they never expected the Xuzhou army to be so bold.

This is practically a showdown at the South Gate.

If Yuan Shu's army loses, they can still escape back to their camp. At least Sun Ben's eight thousand troops can hold the camp, preventing a complete defeat.

However, all the siege weapons would inevitably be destroyed, and even parts of the north and west gates would be lost. Eager to retreat, Sun Ce and Wu Jing had no choice but to abandon all the siege weapons in order to expedite their escape from the battlefield.

The problem is that if the Xuzhou army is defeated, it could very well lead to the fall of Guangling.

Qiao Rui felt a bit annoyed, thinking that the Xuzhou army dared to risk losing the city and come out to fight in the open field. Wasn't that a bit too disrespectful of him?

In fact, Qiao Rui guessed correctly. The Xuzhou army decided to leave the city and give Qiao Rui a good beating only after they had clearly seen the distribution of Yuan Shu's attacking forces.

Liu Feng had already analyzed the composition of Yuan Shu's army and the generals Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, Xu Sheng, and others.

The strongest force was undoubtedly Sun Ce's main force, including nearly two thousand of Sun Jian's personal guards, who were the most capable troops in the entire Yuan Shu faction.

Secondly, there were Wu Jing and Sun Ben's old guard. Although these men were not as good as Sun Jian's personal troops, they were still considered the main force and elite troops.

Next were the heroes and warriors who came from all over Jiangdong and Jiangbei to serve Sun Ce. These new elite troops, as well as the newly expanded troops of Wu Jing and Sun Ben, were also very capable in combat, but they lacked some experience.

The weakest force was undoubtedly Yuan Shu's personal army, which consisted mainly of remnants from the Battle of Kuangting and newly recruited soldiers from Jiujiang.

These soldiers had poor discipline, but their morale training was decent; they were indeed the weakest link in Yuan Shu's army.

Although Liu Feng did not know that the person who came was Qiao Rui, no matter who came, Yuan Shu's personal army was far less capable than Sun Jian's old troops, and the gap was quite large.

Therefore, after clearly seeing the banners of Yuan Shu's army on the city wall, the high command of the Xuzhou army decisively decided that Taishi Ci's remaining troops and some Guangling County soldiers would defend Wu Jing at the north gate, Qian Zhao would lead some Guangling County soldiers and able-bodied men to defend Sun Ce at the west gate, and the main force would attack from the south gate to give Qiao Rui a good beating.

In an instant, bugle calls rang out in Yuan Shu's army, and messengers galloped by, issuing temporary adjustments to the bridge.

Originally, the troops guarding the siege tower were Qiao Rui's central army. They were well-equipped and the strongest fighting force among Yuan Shu's personal troops under Qiao Rui's command. Therefore, Qiao Rui gave them the lucrative task of protecting the siege weapons.

The battle formation that Yuan Shu's personal troops set up at the south gate was actually a defensive formation, which was obviously very absurd.

But it was precisely this absurdity that gave Qiao Rui more confidence.

Qiao Rui knew the strength of his subordinates, so he obediently handed over the main offensive tasks to Sun Ce and Wu Jing. He was more responsible for diversionary attacks at the south gate, killing and wearing down the Xuzhou soldiers, attracting the enemy's defensive forces, and creating opportunities for the other two sides.

For this reason, Qiao Rui steadily arranged his troops into a defensive formation around siege weapons such as siege towers, leaving only the two captains in front to feign an attack, while the rest of his troops were in a defensive posture.

Thus, Yuan Shu's personal army, with a full eight thousand men, more than a dozen siege towers, and more than twenty siege weapons of various kinds, such as battering rams, siege towers, and ladders, still looked extremely threatening.

But no one expected that the Xuzhou army not only came out of the city to meet them in battle, but their target was them.

At this moment, Wu Jing's troops in the north were completely unable to support the south gate. By the time they circled around most of the city, even if they still had the strength, the battle here would likely be over.

Sun Ce's troops in the west were also tied down by the Qianzhao troops who had left the city. Even if they wanted to come to the rescue, they would need time to adjust, not to mention that they would have to travel a long distance.

Sun Ben, who was behind, did have troops, but they were still a long way from the battlefield and had nowhere to deploy.

Therefore, the greatest pressure fell on Qiao Rui.

If Qiao Rui can directly defeat the Xuzhou army, then the credit for today will undoubtedly belong to him.

Qiao Rui's palms were slightly sweaty, but the complete defensive formation still gave him a lot of confidence.

After Qiao Rui made some minor adjustments, the central army camp remained unchanged, while the front army camp, which had originally planned to launch a feint attack, began to retreat and adopt a defensive posture under the orders of bugles and messengers.

Qiao Rui was determined to fight a defensive battle; as long as he could hold out, he would win.

If he could hold off the Xuzhou army until Sun Ce returned to reinforce, keeping those 6,000 Xuzhou soldiers outside the city, then he would be the greatest contributor to the Battle of Guangling.

The Xuzhou army acted with great determination, without the slightest hesitation.

Xu Sheng's troops were unstoppable, and before the two armies even clashed, they had already clearly suppressed Yuan Shu's army. However, before entering the range of the archers, the spearmen stopped and rested on the spot.

Qiao Rui was clearly stunned, not understanding what the other party wanted to do.

Qiao Rui thought for a moment, then led his personal guards to the well railing, dismounted, and climbed onto it.

From his vantage point, he could see a large portion of the battlefield. To his surprise, he discovered that behind Xu Sheng's troops, Pan Zhang's troops had already donned their armor and formed several ranks. They slipped through the gaps in the spearmen's formation and reached the very front of the position.

Qiao Rui's heart sank immediately.

He had just deployed most of his archers to the front lines, intending to severely damage the pikemen phalanx. But now, the enemy had clearly anticipated his plan and had directly sent out heavy armored infantry to clear the way.

Seeing that the enemy was getting closer and closer to the front line, Qiao Rui could not think of any other way and could only immediately order the Ironclad Cavalry in the central army camp to meet the enemy.

Yuan Shu's personal guard was well-equipped, including a 200-man Ironclad Cavalry unit made entirely of lamellar iron armor. This unit was considered a core asset and was generally only responsible for protecting the commander-in-chief, rarely engaging in battle.

However, Qiao Rui was not without some foresight. He knew that he couldn't let the enemy's heavy infantry open a passage, otherwise his side might collapse. So he decisively used his most prized possession to fill the hole.

From this perspective, Qiao Rui can at least be considered a competent general.

His reaction was just a bit slow, or perhaps not slow, but he was outmaneuvered by the other party, which put him in a passive position.

While Qiao Rui was deploying troops, the Xuzhou army's heavy infantry had already begun their charge.

The heavily armored infantrymen lowered their heads and then half-raised their wooden shields, leaving a gap between their helmets and shields, just enough for them to observe the enemy situation ahead.

These experiences were originally personal, but Liu Feng organized a postwar seminar to review and promote various experiences.

This led to some surviving soldiers figuring out small tricks that became common knowledge throughout the entire unit.

This not only greatly improved the soldiers' survival rate, but also enhanced their combat effectiveness.

Without Qiao Rui issuing a specific order, the mid-level commanders at the front had already given the order to fire.

The archers in the front row fired straight shots, while those in the rear fired volleys, beginning a long-range barrage against the charging heavy infantry.

However, lamellar armor is a deadly weapon that is the bane of ordinary bows and arrows. Unless you use a powerful bow or crossbow, lamellar armor can be completely ignored.

Powerful bows and crossbows often have near-straight-line trajectories, while the shields carried by heavily armored infantrymen greatly enhance their protective capabilities.

Several volleys of arrows did almost no damage to the heavily armored infantry.

Behind the heavy infantry, the pikemen had begun to advance again, quietly approaching the enemy's defensive line.

The archers, who had fired four rounds in succession, had to stop firing and retreat to the sides, revealing the medium-armored swordsmen and shieldmen behind them.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, these soldiers were the main force in combat.

The armory of the Eastern Han Dynasty contained a large number of swords, bows and arrows, leather armor, and iron armor, but long spears were the fewest, numbering only twenty to thirty thousand, and their length was far less than that of the Qin Dynasty and the early Western Han Dynasty. The number of swords, however, was more than ten times that of long spears, reaching three to four hundred thousand.

It is evident that the main force of soldiers in the Eastern Han Dynasty had become this type of single-handed weapon, which was used in conjunction with shields.

After all, the system, national conditions, and international situation of the Eastern Han Dynasty meant that they often needed to carry out pacification operations, and long spearmen were simply too clumsy and cumbersome for pacification warfare.

Soon, the heavily armored infantry of Xuzhou clashed with the swordsmen and shieldmen of Yuan Shu's army.

The Xuzhou army's heavy infantry only changed from walking to jogging when the two sides were no more than ten paces apart, but they still generated a powerful impact force thanks to their iron armor.

As soon as the two sides made contact, dozens of swordsmen and shieldmen were knocked backward.

If it weren't for the soldiers who came up behind them and held them back, these swordsmen and shieldmen would likely have been knocked to the ground.

Unfortunately, although they were supported by the soldiers behind them, it would have been better if they had fallen down.

Because right after, they were met with the blades of heavily armored infantry.

After charging into the crowd, the heavily armored infantrymen threw away their wooden shields and began to slaughter with all their might.

Yuan Shu's broadswords barely left white marks on the heavily armored soldiers of Xuzhou, yet the soldiers could easily slice through their leather armor with a backhand strike, creating wounds of varying depths. Initially, Yuan Shu's army could resist with sheer courage, but as his comrades fell one after another, and the heavily armored infantry proved unstoppable, Yuan Shu's lines began to crumble.

Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai, in particular, were like fish in water.

The two men were like two killing machines, completely oblivious to fatigue. With their personal guards by their side, they carved two trenches into the enemy's lines in just a few rounds.

Gradually, soldiers in Yuan Shu's army began to turn tail and run away, which even affected the morale of the rear ranks.

Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai were even more capable than anyone else, and the two of them began to be dissatisfied with being ordinary soldiers, and they both set their sights on the officers in Yuan Shu's army.

Yuan Shu's junior officers had to begin enforcing military law, beheading several fleeing soldiers in order to barely maintain the front line.

However, this also exposed their position, and they were targeted by two fierce-looking men, who then cut them down one after another as Pan Zhang or Zhou Tai charged at them.

The situation was getting worse and worse. The swordsmen and shieldmen were already on the verge of defeat, and now the officers were also suffering heavy casualties. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Yuan Shu's first line of defense would collapse in no more than ten breaths.

Fortunately, Qiao Rui did not delay and immediately issued an order for his heavy infantry to don their armor and meet the enemy.

At this time, Yuan Shu's heavily armored soldiers had also donned their armor and arrived at the front line.

The swordsmen and shieldmen who received the order to retreat breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly retreated from both flanks to the rear, revealing the heavily armored soldiers of Yuan Shu's army in the center.

The Xuzhou army naturally wouldn't chase after those sword and shield soldiers. The enemy was only wearing shackles, while they were wearing iron armor. Only a madman would think they could catch up with the enemy.

They stopped to rest. The battle they had just fought was brief but intense.

Yuan Shu's army was not low in morale and put up a fierce resistance, which exhausted the heavy infantry.

These armored soldiers naturally had to seize every moment to recover their strength, as this was related to their life or death.

Yuan Shu's heavy infantry, after reaching the front lines, had actually expended a great deal of energy.

Walking with 30 to 40 pounds of weight on your body is very taxing.

But they still had to keep moving forward and take the initiative to attack the Xuzhou army.

After all, the enemy was recovering their strength, and Yuan Shu's army couldn't just stand by and watch.

When the heavy infantry of both sides were ten paces apart, they began their customary charge, and then the two large rows of iron blocks collided violently together.

This time, both sides switched to armor-piercing weapons, such as melons, awls, or hammers.

Both sides' heavily armored soldiers were the elite and core troops of their respective armies, naturally selected from the best warriors with the most martial arts skills, rich combat experience, and strong physique.

Therefore, the battle between the two sides entered a fierce stage as soon as they made contact.

Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai both set their sights on the other's commander, a tall and burly military officer surrounded by six armored guards.

The two men simultaneously charged toward each other's location, their personal guards quickly following behind.

Yuan Shu's warriors tried to stop them, but they were no match for the two men.

Pan Zhang dodged to the side, perfectly avoiding the opponent's aimed-at-the-head attack. He then grabbed the opponent's helmet and lifted it up, before holding the hammer upside down and stabbing the spiked end into the opponent's neck. Blood gushed out, and the once fierce and valiant Yuan army armored soldier collapsed to the ground, all strength drained from his body.

Zhou Tai was equally impressive, easily killing an armored soldier as he headed towards his target.

Sun Tong, the Ironclad Army Commander of Yuan Shu's army, was one of the top five fierce warriors under Qiao Rui; otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen to serve as the Commander.

It should be noted that the power of the military commander of the Ironclad Warriors was even greater than that of the ordinary captain. Qiao Rui appointed him to this military commander position because he valued his combat strength.

Sun Tong looked around, realized what the two guys were up to, and revealed a sinister smile.

"follow me."

Sun Tong shouted, then led his personal guards toward Zhou Tai's direction.

Pan Zhang was so angry he was jumping up and down, but he could only watch helplessly as the credit grew legs and walked towards Zhou Tai. He couldn't help but feel annoyed. Why did the young master have to put this guy in here for no reason? He was just stealing his credit for nothing.

Zhou Tai was overjoyed and slowed his pace.

Many people thought Zhou Tai was a reckless fool, but in reality he was quite intelligent.

Historically, when Sun Ce launched his campaign against Yuzhang, the key figures were Taishi Ci and Zu Lang.

When Sun Quan joined the army, he was assigned to a county town on the outskirts, clearly intended as a training ground.

Unexpectedly, a group of over 3,000 Yue people besieged the city, broke through the city walls, and directly attacked the county government office.

At that time, Sun Quan only had Zhou Tai by his side, along with a hundred or so personal guards.

It was all thanks to Zhou Tai's desperate fighting that Sun Quan was able to survive. He not only commanded his soldiers to protect Sun Quan but also observed the enemy's situation and repeatedly tried to kill the enemy leader.

This is definitely not something a reckless person could do.

Seeing Sun Tong approaching him, Zhou Tai slowed down, got up, and began to recover his strength while observing the environment of the small battlefield.

The battlefield wasn't large to begin with, and Zhou Tai had only rested for a short while when Sun Tong had already attacked.

Sun Tong wields a massive axe weighing over 20 kilograms, a weapon that even ordinary people might struggle to wield properly, yet Sun Tong fights fiercely with it.

Sun Tong's personal guards rushed forward first, but were stopped by Zhou Tai's personal guards.

Zhou Tai then went directly to face off against Sun Tong.

Sun Tong sprinted two steps forward, bringing his massive axe down on Zhou Tai's head as he cleaved towards him.

Zhou Tai, however, remained calm and raised his iron hammer to meet the attack.

The clash of weapons produced a tremendous sound, which slowed down the fighting of the surrounding armored soldiers.

Sun Tong was somewhat surprised to see that Zhou Tai had actually blocked his powerful slash, and then grinned maliciously, "Goodness, come again!"

Then, Sun Tong took a side step, drew a circle with his large axe, and swept it horizontally towards Zhou Tai.

Zhou Tai retreated slightly, barely managing to get past him, his movements so swift it was as if he were not wearing any armor.

Sun Tong took two more steps forward, circled around, and chopped back from the opposite direction with his axe.

But Zhou Tai still didn't retaliate; instead, he dodged again.

Seeing that the other party had let him pass again, Sun Tong couldn't help but feel angry. In the past, Sun Tong relied on his tall and strong physique to fight on the battlefield, wielding a large axe and almost always killing one enemy with one blow.

To his surprise, the guy in front of him was as agile as a monkey, which left Sun Tong dumbfounded.

"Is all you can do? Coward."

As Sun Tong swung his axe again to attack, he taunted, "Or do you want to exhaust yourself by dodging?"

Zhou Tai laughed and replied, "Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish."

Using his footwork, Zhou Tai dodged Sun Tong's horizontal slash. Before Sun Tong could retract his axe, Zhou Tai charged forward, raising his iron hammer high in the air.

Sun Tong was immediately alarmed and quickly grabbed the axe with both hands, then blocked it horizontally from a distance.

With a loud bang, Sun Tong froze, standing there motionless.

Just now, Zhou Tai's iron hammer smashed into the handle of Sun Tong's mountain-splitting axe. The iron-clad handle was broken by Zhou Tai's blow, and the hammer continued its momentum, smashing hard into Sun Tong's head in his despairing gaze.

Sun Tong's entire head was smashed to pieces, and his iron helmet was deformed.

At this moment, Zhou Tai shook his head and sighed, "That's all there is to it."

(End of this chapter)